


THE TURTLES

by phrankie



Category: TMNT (2012), TMNT (2014-16), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, Prose Poem
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-26
Updated: 2016-08-26
Packaged: 2018-08-11 04:15:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 742
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7875841
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phrankie/pseuds/phrankie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An original poem written be me to honor my boys</p>
            </blockquote>





	THE TURTLES

**Author's Note:**

> This is a poem I wrote as inspiration struck me one evening. I have dabbled in poetry my entire life, and when i feel compelled to write, i do so without hesitation, for it only lasts for a moment. Please let me know what you think.

Purple, Orange, Red, or Blue;

Which color do you choose?

There was a man named Yoshi who lived in Japan.

He was trained in ninjutsu and was a member of the Hamato clan.

Got in a fight with Oroku Saki, raised as his brother but son of the enemy

Who blamed the Hamato clan for the death of his family.

Yoshi lost his wife and his daughter to tragedy,

And he fled from Japan to the home of the free.

The United States is where he now is;

NYC, in fact, where he honors his wife's last wish.

Lonely and mourning, he walked the streets of the city,

Disheartened and crestfallen and wrapped in self-pity.

He saw in the widow at a pet shop nearby,

That a sale was ongoing for small pets if you buy.

He bought four baby turtles that day, as we all know,

Then their mutation took place as he walked back home.

With his newly mutated form, he feared for his life;

And the lives of the little ones who now seemed to cry?

Their cries reminded him of his daughter as they continued to wail;

Only infants he saw, and quickly consoled them without fail.

He realized his dilemma, but in his haste, made a plan.

He'd become their father and hideout in the sewers with his new fam.

He now called himself Splinter, a whole new name,

For the babies he now had, he would do the same.

Inspired by the Italian Renaissance, it is foretold,

That their names were derived from the artists and sculptors of old.

Splinter read his favorite book aloud to them,

And his tots settled in as the cool night fell.

Jubilation struck him as he found their names;

Donatello, Michelangelo, Leonardo, and Raphael.

He smiled and he pointed to each one assigning their names,

Then repeated them with pride as he gathered their small frames.

In the tub they went for their nightly bath;

First Mikey and Donnie, then Leo and Raph.

Their giggles were infectious, and Splinter couldn't help but laugh.

The bubbles tickled their noses as they played and they splashed.

Their father smiled in content, his heart whole at last.

For he knew he could finally move on from the past.

He lost so much in a single breath;

From his clan, to his wife, and his little baby girl;

But fate had a plan and brought him four little boys,

Who quickly became his entire world.

From tots to teens, the learned many things,

Like the art of ninjutsu, how to write and speak in Japanese.

Reading, writing, art, music and more,

They scavenged for food and learned the importance of chores.

Today, there's a hothead in red, with an attitude unmatched,

And a genius in purple who cannot be hacked.

Sweet sunshine in orange, whose hugs can't be beat,

And a warrior in blue who was born to lead.

Their father, a rat who was once a man,

Raised them to fight and protect the clan.

Yoshi, now Splinter, taught them well;

To love one another and look out for their shells.

They emerge from the shadows in silence and stealth

Keeping to the rooftops to protect themselves.

They are extremely vigilant, sometimes to a fault,

High above the city as they listen and watch.

They keep the streets safe from criminals and scum

Protecting the innocent men and women, yes even the bums.

When the city lays quiet, they make their way home

And relax while reading comics, playing video games, tinkering all night or meditating alone.

Four turtles, four brothers, kept together by fate

Bought as companions for a man consumed by heartache;

When they all changed in form, he willingly took them in

And they became his children, in honor of Miwa and Shen.

To this day, they continue to patrol the streets,

Keeping us safe from the riffraff they meet.

If you're ever up late for any reason at all

Look up to the rooftops as the darkness falls.

You may witness their silhouettes jumping roof to roof

That's all you need to see as proof.

If you listen close in the night you may hear

The sounds of their weapons ring out loud and clear.

If you're ever alone, anxious and uneasy

Remember, four brothers are keeping you safe for the evening.

So relax, read a book, but have no fear

For those brothers, the Turtles, are somewhere near.


End file.
